Miami Police Union President Wants To Recall Tomas Regalado

The police union president who helped Tomas Regalado become Miami mayor in 2009 is now calling on his brothers and sisters in blue to oust the city's embattled leader. Taking his cue from our recent cover story about the mayor's failures, Armando Aguilar -- President of the Miami Chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police -- says he wants to mount a recall against Regalado. "I got the idea from you guys," Aguilar explains. "I'm incorporating some of your ten reasons to recall him into my press release. I've had it. Enough is enough."

Aguilar insists his falling out with Regalado doesn't have anything to do with the mayor's fractured relationship with current Police Chief Miguel Exposito. "It is not about whether he supports the chief or not," Aguilar says, specifically citing the severance payouts to Tony Crapp and Larry Spring as examples of Tomas' "malfeasance and incompetence."

Over the weekend, the union's executive board voted to back his play, Aguilar adds. However, he still has to get approval to mount a campaign from all of Miami's FOP members. "We're going to have the vote on August 9," Aguilar says. "I've got a feeling it's going to be overwhelmingly yes to start collecting signatures."

Aguilar tells Banana Republican he is also confident the FOP will be able to mount a well-funded recall campaign, as well as enlist the city's other unions in the effort. "At the very least we will get the necessary signatures," Aguilar promises. "There will be a recall election."